Aaron DeNicola was in elementary school and too young to know what dementia meant when his grandmother, Regina, was diagnosed with the memory disorder that years later would rob her of her ability to speak and be independent.

That was more than a decade ago, and since then, DeNicola, now 17, learned about dementia and has made teaching others about it among his priorities.

"For me, I didn't know what to do to help her. I couldn't give her a pill, drive her to the doctor, there was nothing I could do,'' he said. "This was one way I could do something."

On Saturday, DeNicola, of Harrington Park, attended the second annual basketball tournament at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, which he along with the school's basketball coach, Craig Ferraro, organized to benefit the Alzheimer's Association Greater New Jersey chapter. DeNicola said the aim is to raise $2,500 from the event. Last year, he said the event brought in about $2,200.

Aaron DeNicola, 17, of Harrington Park, at a basketball tournament he organized to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan on January, 12, 2019.(Photo: Monsy Alvarado, NorthJersey.com)

Ferraro commended DeNicola for his hard work, and said the idea for a basketball tournament came after DeNicola led a talk about Alzheimer's in a health class. He said it struck a chord, since his family has been touched by the disease, and thought that they should organize an event.

Six high school teams agreed to play and participate. They were Northern Valley Regional at Old Tappan, which played against Pascack Hills Regional; Orange, which played against Wayne Valley, and River Dell Regional, which faced off against Ridgewood High School.

Ferraro said when he reached out to coaches, all came quickly on board and nine referees donated their time as well.

Wayne Valley High School plays against Orange High School at basketball tournament at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan to raise funds for Alzheimer's on January 12, 2019.(Photo: Monsy Alvarado/NorthJersey.com)

"Teams were more than willing to come and were excited to help out,'' he said. "It's kind of hard to find families who haven't been affected by this."

There are more than 200,000 people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the 14 counties that the Alzheimer's Association of Greater New Jersey serves, which stretches from Ocean to Sussex counties, said Robyn Kohn, manager of programs for the chapter, who attended the tournament. She said nationwide there are 5.7 million living with Alzheimer's.

She said that the work that DeNicola does is needed, and said the sports tournaments bring the community together, and families out.

"We need more families getting involved because this affects families,'' she said.

For the basketball tournament, the hallway by the main entrance of the school was decorated with purple balloons and streamers. Alzheimer's Disease Awareness is represented by the color purple. Attendees were greeted with a sign that listed several facts concerning Alzheimer's, including that it is the sixth leading cause of death, and that every 66 seconds someone develops Alzheimer's.

A sign about Alzheimer's greets attendees of a basketball tournament held Saturday, January, 12, 2019 to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's.(Photo: Monsy Alvarado/NorthJersey.com)

Steve Papa, the athletic trainer for Pascack Hills, who also volunteered to attend one of the games in case someone needed treatment for injuries, said his grandfather was diagnosed with the disorder years ago.

"I remember going to see him and him not recognizing who we were,'' he recalled. "That was tough."

The same was true for Gary Maier of Old Tappan, who was sitting in the wooden bleachers with his wife, Sheila Maier, prior to the second game between Orange and Wayne Valley. Maier said his maternal grandmother had dementia.

Aaron DeNicola, 17, of Harrington Park, at a basketball tournament he organized to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan on January, 12, 2019.(Photo: Monsy Alvarado/NorthJersey.com)

His wife said that everyone is affected in some way, pointing to the senior living facilities located in many towns which serve people impacted by Alzheimer's.

"We came to support,'' she said. "It's an issue that exists within every community."